Cheers to 60!

 

I must be getting old. Why didn't it occur to me earlier that my best friend from high school and college was turning 60 this week? She is only a few months older than me. (That has always made me feel a bit better when those birthdays with a "0" at the end happen.)

I usually make my friends a special card to celebrate those decade birthdays, so I knew I had to get a leg up and get on it! 

Linda's favorite color has always been blue. She has the prettiest blue eyes, too!

So it was natural to choose blue fabric and a blue sky paper for background. I snuck in some scrap stabilizer for the backing just to help keep it all together. I purposely keep my old, dull needles for sewing cards. 

I did some hand-drawing for the numbers and fussy cut 2 flowers out of scrap fabric, then used some narrow 2-sided tape to hold it together before stitching down..

I free-motioned twice around each letter and flower, then changed thread colors to stitch down the papers. In the past, I've stitched right onto a square of fabric, but that often bunched up, so paper it is from now on!

 Off she goes to greet Linda and her 60th year in Rochester, Minnesota! 

Just in the nick of time, too! 

Linking up with:

Sandra @MMMquilts DrEAMi

Sum of Their Stories: Handmade Monday

One-of-a-Kind Birthday Cards

July is a popular month for birthdays in my crowd. 

What better way to make a birthday person feel loved than make them a unique card?

The card ideas in this post aren't entirely mine, unfortunately. I found similar cards on Pinterest, so I tweaked the idea to work for me.

Making cards with fabric also helps me find a use for those 

fabric scraps that seem to pile up! Yeah!

So, ---28-- above was sent to my husband's niece in Utah.

With 2 youngsters and a long way from home, I figured she needed a special card.

I hardly remember turning 28. (That was a long time ago.)

Then I made a --70-- card for my dear friend, Joan. She threw herself an incredible party with catered food, a band, and flowing wine bottles! She deserved a special card. 

The last card I made was for my incredible friend, Carolyn, who turned 55 right after returning from a trip to Africa. She has a doctorate degree and teaches at a local college. She took a group of students to Kenya on a mission trip to build a school library.

She certainly deserved a special card!

I love making these cards, especially when I have the urge to be creative. I

t's a quick fix for me. 

OK, so if you've made this far, I'm about to tell you that one commenter will win a card of their choosing! You choose the number and color palette (my scraps may define that) and I'll make you a card to send to someone who deserves it! 

All you need to do is tell me what birthday has been most special to you

....and what made it special.

Example: My 19th birthday was most special to me because I met my husband-to-be! 

I'll randomly choose a winner on the evening of Tuesday, August 1st.
Edited: This contest has ended and the winner has been contacted!

Linking up with MmmQuilts DrEAMi Linky #6

Handmade Monday #36 Sum of Their Stories

Hand-Made Cards

Do you ever want to make something special for a friend or loved  one,

but don't have time for a large project?

Sew up a card!

I buy plain cardstock sets found at any craft store.

Sets include multiple blank cards and envelopes.

A variety of colors are available, or ivory or white.

Use a scalloped scissors to cut a fancy edge.

Stickers are fun too!

Cut out the shapes from fabric and sew them onto fabric or directly to the card.

This is a great use of scraps, even those tiny ones!

I save all of my well-used sewing machine needles for making cards.

The cardstock paper dulls a needle quickly,

so this is a perfect use for old needles!

It's also a great excuse to play with those fancy stitches on your machine!

Use a non-bleeding pen to write a verse, poem or saying.

Or just go with strips of fabric sewn directly onto the cardstock.

Add a sweet ribbon or quote.

Or, if you're feeling like trying out some new pens and paints,

try drawing!

Your friends will love them!

(All of these cards have been made by me!)

*Day 9 of 31 Days of Blogging Challenge